Mario Martinez – Mars Molecule Collection Mario Martinez (aka MARS-1) was born in Boulder, Colorado in 1977. At the age of 13, he began writing graffiti in his hometown of Fresno. He later attended Academy of Art in San Francisco, where he currently lives and works remaining heavily active in the city’s contemporary art scene. Besides using brushes on the usual material he paints high buildings in cities and makes sculptures of bronze, participated in so many projects.
Recently the artist has released a set of bronze sculptures titled Mars Molecule Collection. The sculpts are three dimensional representations of the SF-based artist organic otherworldly paintings and were first revealed in this year’s Burning Man.
Made in Berkeley, California at the Artworks Foundry, Martinez utilized a mixture of modern and ancient techniques in order to create the 9-foot, 2500-5000 lb., bronze sculptures. Two of the sculptures are reminiscent of molecules, while the third takes on the shape of a Torus energy field.
Each sculpture took three to four months to create. They were first designed using 3D Printing, and then transformed into the sculptures you see here using the ancient “lost wax” technique, a technique pre-dating the Bronze Age (3,700 B.C.E.). The sculpture was welded from 70 different pieces, each ranging 2-3 feet in size. Part of the intent is to encourage a dialogue of placing more public sculptures in and around San Francisco.
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posted by Margaret
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#art #sculptures #mars-1 #mars molecule #bronze sculptures #crossconnectmag #tu recepcja

Land of The Giants Project for Iceland
This design transforms mundane electrical pylons into statues on the Icelandic landscape.Choi + Shine,is the US architecture practice behind the proposal
Making only minor alterations to well established steel-framed tower design, we have created a series of towers that are powerful, solemn and variable. These iconic pylon-figures will become monuments in the landscape. Seeing the pylon-figures will become an unforgettable experience, elevating the towers to something more than merely a functional design of necessity.
The pylon-figures can be configured to respond to their environment with appropriate gestures. As the carried electrical lines ascend a hill, the pylon-figures change posture, imitating a climbing person. Over long spans, the pylon-figure stretches to gain increased height, crouches for increased strength or strains under the weight of the wires.
The pylon-figures can also be arranged to create a sense of place through deliberate expression. Subtle alterations in the hands and head combined with repositioning of the main body parts in the x, y and z-axis, allow for a rich variety of expressions. The pylon-figures can be placed in pairs, walking in the same direction or opposite directions, glancing at each other as they pass by or kneeling respectively, head bowed at a town.
Like the statues of Easter Island, it is envisioned that these one hundred and fifty foot tall, modern caryatids will take on a quiet authority, belonging to their landscape yet serving the people, silently transporting electricity across all terrain, day and night, sunshine or snow.
#design #art #pylons #Choi + Shine #Iceland #electricity pylons